Top.



G. H. SAPPER.

TOP.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20, 1910.

. 1,016,960, Patented Feb. 13,1912.

W/TIVESSES: l/Vl/E/VTUR ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cu.. WASHINGTON. 1x c.

CHARLES H. SAPPEB, OE NEVVBURGI-I, NEW YORK.

TOP.

Application filed September 20, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. SArrnR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newburgh, in the county of Orange and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Top, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to tops, and it has for its object to provide one with a hollow member, in which an inner member is disposed, the inner member being journaled in hearings in the outer member and hav ing surfaces which are exposed through openings in the outer member, the inner member being provided with wings, for retarding its rotation relatively to the outer member. The outer member may be constructed with its openings of various sizes and shapes, and the surfaces of the inner member may be colored in various ways, so that when the top is spun and the outer member rotates slightly faster than the inner member, the colors exhibited through the openings in the outer member will be changed slowly to produce various color effects.

Still other objects of the invention will appear in the following complete description.

In this specification I will describe the preferred form of my invention, it being understood that the scope of the invention is defined in the appended claims.

Reference is to be hadto the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which Figure 1 is an elevation showing the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same; Figs. 3 and 4 are views similar to that shown in Fig. 1, with different arrangements of the openings in the outer member; and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the inner member.

By referring to the drawings, it will be seen that an outer member is provided with cone-shaped sides 5 and with a collar, or drum-shaped member, 6 at its apex, there being a bearing 7 in this collar, or drumshaped, member 6. A saucer-shaped member 8 is provided, this saucer-shaped member 8 having its periphery secured to the bottom of the side member 5. I prefer to connect the saucer-shaped member 8 with the said side member 5 by bending the said Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

Serial No. 582,854.

side member 5 so that it will firmly engage the periphery of the said saucer-shaped member 8. To the saucer-shaped member 8, there is secured a peg 9, there being a hearing 10 in the upper portion of this peg 9, the saucer-shaped member 8 having an opening 11 which registers with the said bearing 10. Openings 12 are made in the saucer-shaped member, 8, and there are also openings 13 in the sides 5 of the outer member. These openings 13 may extend vertically or, if desired, they may be arranged spirally, as is shown at 13 in Fig. 4 of the drawings. In some cases I prefer to make relatively small openings 13 in the sides of the outer member, as shown in Fig. 3, said openings being spaced from each other and being disposed relatively to each other as may be desired.

In the outer member there is disposed an inner cone-shaped member 14, which is secured to a spindle 15, the lower terminal of the spindle resting in the bearing 10, and the upper terminal of the spindle 15 extending through the bearing 7, in which it is journaled. T o the upper terminal of the spindle 15 there is secured a gripping member 16. The sides of the inner member 14 are colored in various ways, to permit the colors to be seen through the openings 13, 13 13*, the inner member 14 being provided with depending wings 14 which are provided for retarding the rotation of the inner member 14 relatively to the outer member, so that the colors, which are exposed by the said openings 13, 13 13 will be changed continually.

In using the top, a cord is wound around the collar or drum-shaped member 6. The top is disposed with its peg resting on the ground and the gripping member 16 is held firmly in the left hand. The cord is then pulled quickly with the right hand so that the outer member will be rotated rapidly, when it will be found that the top will spin on its peg and that therinner member 14 will rotate with the outer-member, but that it will rotate more slowly inasmuch as it was held stationary when the outer member was rotated rapidlyby the pulling of the cord. The rotation of the inner member will also be retarded by means of the Wings 14*. As the top spins, the colors on the inner member will be seen through the openings 13, 13 13 of the outer member, and as the outer member rotates more rapidly than the inner member, these colors, which appear through the said openings 13, 13, 13 will constantly change. When the inner member is colored with red, white and blue stripes, each of which is substantially as wide as the openings 13 shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the top will present a white appearance when the white stripes register with the openings. As the inner member 1 1 of the top is retarded and the portions of the white and blue stripes appear through the openings 13, they will blend until the blue stripes register with the said openings 13, when the sides of the top will appear blue. When portions of the red stripes appear through the openings 13, the colors will blend and present a varying color, as the red stripes predominate on the retardation of the inner member 14, the sides of the top appearing red in color as the red stripes register with the openings 18.

It will be understood that instead of coloring the sides of the inner member in stripes, the sides of the inner member may be divided in colored blocks, which are of substantially the same size as the openings 13*, so that the blocks of color will appear through the said openings 13.

An inner member 14, colored in any desirable way, may be used with the outer member having the spiral openings 13 shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. In fact, I do not limit myself to any arrangement of the openings in the outer member nor do I limit myself to any arrangement of the colors on the inner member, as these may be arranged in any number of ways to produce varying eflects.

The cord 17 is preferably secured to the collar 6 of the outer member 5 so that when the top is set in motion by drawing the cord 17 outwardly until it is all unwound from the collar it will rewind itself on the collar in the opposite direction. In this way the top may be made to spin first in one direction then in the other by drawing on the cord periodically.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a top an outer hollow member with an opening through its outer wall, a decorated member disposed therein, the members being adapted to rotate relatively to each other, and a member extending from one of the first-two-mentioned members, for retarding its rotation.

2. In a top an outer hollow member with an opening in its wall and having a peg and bearings, an inner decorated member having a spindle journaled in the said bearings, and wings on the inner member adapted to retard its rotation relatively to the outer member.

3. In a top, a hollow member with an opening through its outer wall, a. decorated member disposed therein, the members being adapted to rotate relatively to each other, a spindle secured to the-inner member, and a member secured to the spindle adapted to retard the rotation of the inner member.

4. In a top an outer member with an opening in its wall, and having a peg, a collar and bearings, an inner decorated member having a spindle journaled in the said bearings, and a wing, and a cord secured to the collar.

5. In a top, an outer hollow member with openings in its wall, and having a peg and bearings at its top and bottom, an inner member decorated having a spindle journaled in the said bearings, the outer wall of the inner member being disposed substantially parallel with the inner wall of the outer member, and wings on the inner member, adapted to retard its rotation relatively to the outer member.

6. In a top, an outer hollow member having openings in its side walls and having a peg and bearings, and an inner decorated member disposed in the said outer member and having a spindle journaled in the said bearings, the surfaces of the inner member being exposed by the said openings in the outer member.

7 In a top, an outer hollow cone-shaped member with openings in its walls and having a peg and bearings, and an inner coneshaped member disposed in the outer member and having a spindle journaled in the bearings, the walls of the inner member, which are exposed by the openings in the outer member, being decorated with a plurality of colors.

8. In a top, an outer hollow cone-shaped member with openings in its walls and hav ing a peg and bearings, an inner cone-shaped member disposed in the outer member and having a spindle journaled in the bearings, the walls of the inner member, which are exposed by the openings in the outer member, being decorated with a plurality of colors, and wings on the inner member, to retard its rotation relatively to the outer member.

9. In a top, a hollow'outer member having side walls with openings and bearings, an inner member disposed in the outer member and having a spindle jour'naled in the said bearings, the walls of the inner member, which are exposed by the openings in the outer member, being decorated in a plurality of colors, and a peg on which the spindle is disposed.

10. In a top an outer hollow member with an opening in its wall and having a peg and bearings, an inner member having a spindle the inner member to retard its rotation relatively to the outer member, the walls of the inner member which are exposed by the opening in the outer member, being decorated.

11. In a top, a hollow member with an opening through its outer wall, and having bearings, and a peg which rotates with the hollow decorated member, an inner member having a spindle journaled in the bearings,

. the members being adapted to rotate relaing an opening in its walls, and bearings spaced apart, and an inner decorated member disposed in the said outer member between the bearings in which it is journaled.

14:- In a top an outer hollow member having an opening in its walls, a peg and bearings spaced apart, and an inner decorated member disposed in the said outer member between the bearings in which it is journaled, the surfaces of the inner member being exposed by the said openings in the outer member.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES H. SAPPER. Witnesses SIDNEY WOREHAM, OSCAR BOOK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

